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City & County
2 Hattiesburg Police Officers Fatally Shot; Suspect Sought
A coroner says two Mississippi police officers have died after being shot in the line of duty.
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Story
City & County
Siemens Water Meter Work Could Resume Within Weeks
Work could soon resume on the Siemens water-meter installation project, a top Jackson public-works official said May 7.
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Story
City & County
Commish OKs $13 Million First-Year Sales Tax Plan
The commission in charge of Jackson's special sales tax plan approved spending approximately $13 million.
Story
Freddie Gray Death Highlights Lead Poisoning Crisis
Lead absorption at any rate can cause harm to a child. Lead exposure can affect IQ, focus, memory and academic achievement.
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Cover
Fly, Fight, Win: The JFP Interview with Dr. Valerie Short
In keeping with the spirit of the U.S. Air Force's motto "Aim High" Dr. Valerie Adream Smartt Short has set her sights on the state's highest office.
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Style
Imperfect Parenting: Good Enough is Just Fine
Mother's Day is a great time to explore and unwind some of the myths and expectations that put moms under pressure. Not all of them come from the finger-waggers on …
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Food
Mother’s Day Meals
Your mother has probably spent her entire life taking care of you in one way or another. This Mother's Day, which is Sunday, May 10, treat her to brunch at …
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Music
Shelly Fairchild: Timeline of Your Life
Singer Shelly Fairchild has a successful music career in Nashville, due in part to her Mississippi upbringing.
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Bryan's Rant
Family Business
The 2015 NFL draft was big for the New Orleans Saints. The team had five of the top 80 picks in the first two days with two first-rounders, one second-rounder …
Story
Biz Roundup
Beer Week at Saltine, Taylor Reed's Taco Shop and More
Chef Jesse Houston, owner of Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave. Suite 201), will celebrate American Craft Beer Week May 11-17 with seven days of beer-centric events featuring limited-release draft …
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Music
Willie Sugarcapps
Since joining forces three years ago, Americana super-band Willie Sugarcapps has taken on a life of its own for its prestigious members—vocalist and guitarist Grayson Capps, multi-instrumentalist Will Kimbrough, guitarist …
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City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
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Person of the Day
Augustus Bennett
In the nine months that Augustus Bennett has been an intern with New Stage Theatre, he has developed his acting abilities. Now, he'll be sharpening his skills off the stage …
Entry
Yarber Still Beating Emergency Declaration Horse, PR Campaign
By R.L. NaveMayor Tony Yarber may have lost the battle with the Jackson City Council over his desire to issue a infrastructure emergency proclamation, but he's not giving up the public-relations fight.
This morning, the mayor's communications office sent out a press release touting a mention of the of the strategy on the website of Next City (formerly Next American City). The story, posted today, looks at quick-fix infrastructure strategies in Jackson and San Diego.
"The article cites the Mayor’s emergency declaration and San Diego’s proposal to prioritize maintenance investment, saying the strategies of both cities 'resonate,'" the press from Yarber's office states.
The story also called Yarber's strategy "more than a little unusual" and agrees with the city council's reluctance to go balls-to-the-wall with a declaration that, according to Yarber, could involve a relaxation of procurement protocols.
"Probably, he’s right to be cautious," writes Next City's Rachel Dovey, referring to Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix. "Procurement laws vary state to state, even city to city, and though they tend to be a bureaucratic headache, they often provide some public safeguards in dealing with private industry."
Last week, the city council declined to approve a new declaration, even though Yarber said it didn't matter one way or the other because the city was going to go to work anyway.
Yarber did say then that having the council's imprimatur on his declaration would help the city get into rooms with state and federal influence-makers with whom the city might not otherwise have an audience.
He added that in issuing the declaration his administration had "changed the paradigm" and kicked off a national conversation on what constitutes an emergency. It's apparent that the Yarber believes the Next City article is part of that conversation.
As his news release points out:L "According to its website, 'Next City' provides daily online coverage of the leaders, policies and innovations driving progress in metropolitan regions across the world.”
The world is watching indeed.
http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2015/apr/29/21249/
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Books
More to the Story
When many people think of comic books, they may think of crime fighting, flapping capes and spandex. When they think of comic-book readers, the image isn't complimentary.
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Politics
Charles Graham: Hoping for Balance
The Jackson Free Press talked to Charles E. Graham about his vision for the office of secretary of state on one of his days off the campaign trail.
Place
LD's Beer Run
From Facebook: We sell beer. Lots of beer. Craft brews, macro beers, craft ciders, growlers, kegs, even craft sodas! We are Jackson's Ultimate beer store.
